SkyClan's Story
by KatrinaCrystal
Summary: Firestar and Sandstorm left have left SkyClan to fend for themselves. The clan is still recovering from the rat attack when Echosong recieves an ominous warning. Who can she trust? Find out in my first-ever fanfic, SkyClan's Story! Rated T for safety!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Warriors. If I did, Cinderpelt would be alive.

**KatrinaCrystal**: Okay, this is my first fanfic ever, so please tell me if it's good or not!

**Cinderkit**: Hey! _I_ think the story's great!

**KatrinaCrystal**: Yeah, but you're my kittypet. You _have_ to say that.

**Cinderkit:** Says _you_.

**KatrinaCrystal**: Shut up Cinderkit. No MeowMix for _you_!

**Cinderkit**: But-

**KatrinaCrystal**: Okay, okay. I won't let you starve. If I do you might go join SkyClan…Okay, here's the story! (I'm skipping the allegiances…)

Prologue

Echosong opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of the forest. The small silvery-gray tabby she-cat tasted the air, and then spun around, her green eyes shining.

"Skywatcher! You're here!" Her delighted surprise instantly changed to worry and concern when she saw the sorrowful look in the his pale blue eyes.

The old tom just shook his head. His dark grey fur shimmered with the light of the millions of stars that seemed to cling to it. "Darkness is coming." Skywatcher mewed sorrowfully.

"Tell no one, for the darkness will come from within your clan. There is only one cat you can trust."

"Who?" Echosong mewed desperately, her fur standing on end.

"When the time comes, you will know." Skywatcher began to fade away.

"No, wait! You have to tell me more! Come back!" Echosong pleaded. The trees disappeared around her, and suddenly she was in the dark. A strange, rasping voice disrupted the silence with a single question. "Which plant wilts at water's touch?"

Echosong woke up with a start, her heart racing rapidly. Stars danced in front of her eyes, and she began trembling as she recalled her dream.

_Who can I trust?_

"Which plant wilts at water's touch?" The words rang in her ears.

Then a gust of wind caught Echosong's attention as it blew through her den, blowing a stack of herbs from their precarious perch on the small ledge. One of the leaves glided over to her, landing lightly on her dark grey paws.

She sniffed at the leaf resting on her forepaws, and she felt a tingle run down her spine like a jolt of electricity as she recognized the scent, and realized the meaning behind the words that once again drifted through her mind.

"Which plant wilts at water's touch?"

_Sage!_ Echosong turned to look outside the small cave that was the medicine cat's den, and saw a small grey tabby she-cat tussling playfully with her brother. _Sagekit…_


	2. Chapter One: The Apprentice Ceremony

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I still do not own Warriors.

**Cinderkit:** My twoleg says to tell Frosteyes and Ginnystar thanks _so_ much for the reviews!

**KatrinaCrystal:** Yeah, they reall motivated me to update! Oh, and I have a new point of view! Sagekit!

**Cinderkit:** What about me? Do _I_ get to be in this story?

**KatrinaCrystal:** Not this one. Maybe if I get enough reviews, I'll write one about you. Or maybe your namesake, Cinderpelt. Ooh, maybe what she was feeling as she delivered Sorreltail's kits!

**Cinderkit:** Cool! I'll be famous!

**KatrinaCrystal:** Aren't you forgetting something? *taps foot impatiently*

**Cinderkit:** Oh yeah! Don't forget to review, cuz my twoleg really needs to know how she can improve!

**KatrinaCrystal:** So, with that out of the way, here's the story!

Chapter One: The Apprentice Ceremony

**Sagekit's POV**

Sagekit stirred in her nest when she felt a thorn-sharp jab in her side. She opened her eyes blearily to find that it was just Mintkit.

"Sagekit, wake_ up_!" Mintkit hissed, prodding her with one of his dark grey paws again.

"Wuzzgoinon? Somecat 'tackin the camp?" she mumbled, confused.

"No. We-"

"Good. 'm goin back to sleep." she yawned.

"You can't go back to sleep! We're six moons old today, and Petalnose says Leafstar is have our apprentice ceremony today!" Mintkit's voice was practically oozing with pride and excitement.

"Oh. Okay. I'll just close my eyes a little while longer. I was having a really good dream. Rainfur was there, and Skywatcher, and Spottedleaf, and-"

"Oh come _on_, you're not seriously going to miss our apprentice ceremony over _another_ of your mouse-brained dreams, are you?" Mintkit mewed scathingly.

"Fine! I'm getting up, okay?" Sagekit got to her paws, annoyed. She stalked over to the entrance of the nursery, sat down, and began licking her pale grey fur roughly. " I don't see why everyone's making such a big deal out of this; it's not like we're the first cats ever apprenticed. We go up, get our names, find out who our mentor's are, touch their noses, and that's it. And after that, we just learn how to hunt and stuff. Not very exciting."

"Are you kidding?" Mintkit asked incredulously. "This is only one of the most important days of our entire lives!"

"I don't think it's going to be all that cool. What's so great about being a warrior anyway?" Sagekit grumbled. "All you do is hunt, fight, and boss other cats around…"

Sagekit heard Mintkit's exasperated sigh, and ignored it. She watched gloomily as the other warriors carried out the day's activities. Sharpclaw was coming back with Clovertail, Tinypaw, Sparrowpelt, and Cherrytail; the dawn patrol.

When she saw Leafstar leap up onto the Rockpile, she trudged over to her brother. "Come on, Leafstar's getting ready to start the ceremony. Let's go." Sagekit turned, and, without another word, walked over to the Rockpile. She could hear Mintkit's pawsteps as he scampered to catch up, trying not to squeal like an excited kit.

_How can he be so excited? I just want to get it over with. Being a warrior looks so boring…_

"Let all cats join here beneath the Rockpile for a clan meeting!" Leafstar yowled.

After all the warriors and apprentices were in place, Leaftstar spoke the ceremonious words. "We are gathered here today to witness one of the most important moments of a cat's life. Mintkit and Sagekit have reached their sixth moon, and it's high time they became apprentices. Mintkit, from this moment on, until you receive your warriors name, you will be known as Mintpaw. StarClan, I ask you guide this new apprentice, and set her paws on the path he will take to become a warrior. Sharpclaw, you will mentor Mintpaw. I trust that you will teach him as well as you taught Cherrytail."

Sagekit watched as her brother walked up and touched his nose to Sharpclaw's muzzle. His blue eyes were shining brightly, and his tail was sticking straight out.

"Sagekit, please step forward." Leafdapple said.

Confused, Sagekit walked all the way up to the edge of the Rockpile.

_What's going on? This isn't part of the ceremony?_

"Sagekit, do you _want_ to become a warrior apprentice?" Leafdapple asked.

"I-I want to help my clan." Sagekit mewed nervously.

"Yes, I know that." Leafdapple replied. "But do want to become a warrior apprentice?"

_What do I say? What do I do?_

Sagekit decided telling the truth would be best. "N-no, not really. I mean, I really do want to help the clan, but being a warrior doesn't look like much fun."

There were several shocked gasps from behind her. The warriors and queens began murmuring urgently, and when she turned around, her mother was staring at her with a horrified expression. Sagekit hung her head in shame as she realized she had just disgraced her mother in front of the whole clan.

"Don't blame yourself, Sagekit." Another voice drifted down from the Rockpile.

_Echosong! What does _she_ want?_

"The warriors of StarClan have sent me a sign!" Echosong announced.

More murmurs from the warriors and queens.

"Sagekit, you shouldn't blame yourself because it isn't your destiny to be a warrior of SkyClan. Your destiny is to be a medicine cat. Sagekit, will you be my apprentice?" Echosong asked. She looked worried.

_She thinks I'm going to refuse!_ Sagekit realized.

"Yes!" she squeaked. "I'd be honored to be your apprentice, Echosong."

Echosong smiled and let out the breath she'd been holding. "Thank you, Sagekit."

Leafdapple cleared her throat. "Sagekit, from this moment on, you will be known as Sagepaw. StarClan, I ask you to look after this apprentice as she walks the path of the medicine cat. Echosong, the time has come for you to take an apprentice. You will mentor Sagepaw. I trust that you will be as good a mentor to her as Sandstorm and Fawnstep were to you."

Echosong leapt down from the Rockpile. Sagepaw took a step forward and touched noses with her new mentor.

"Sagepaw! Mintpaw! Sagepaw! Mintpaw!" Sagepaw's mind whirled as she heard the whole clan call out her new name, and her littermate's, for the first time.

_I'm going to be a medicine cat! I'm not some mouse-brain who doesn't understand the warrior code, I'm just not supposed to be a warrior! I _knew_ Mintkit- er, Mint_paw_ was wrong!_

"So, Sagepaw, what do you want to learn first?" Echosong asked.

"Everything!" Sagepaw replied, her fur fluffed out with excitement.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Okay, so what did you think? Please let me know by…

**Cinderkit:** Pressing the awe-inspiring button at the bottom of the screen!

**KatrinaCrystal:** In other words…

**Cinderkit:** Review!


	3. Chapter Two: Whispering Cave

**Disclaimer:** As much as I wish I did, I _still_ do not own Warriors. L

**KatrinaCrystal:** Reader, I know that sage doesn't heal cracked pads. I just can't seem to remember what it does. K

**Cinderkit:** I _think_ it helps fevers or something.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Yeah, but doesn't borage do that?

**Cinderkit: **Whatever. My twoleg has edited that chapter and made the sign more accurate.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Again, thanks _so_ much to GinnyStar, Frosteyes, and now Reader!

**Cinderkit:** Okay, so read and review please! The story will start now!

Chapter Two: Whispering Cave

**Sagepaw's POV**

"Don't eat that, Sagepaw!" Echosong called.

Sagepaw turned away from the fresh-kill pile. "Why not?"

"We're going to the Whispering Cave soon, and you can't have any prey in your belly the first time you go to meet StarClan." her mentor replied.

"Oh. When do we leave?" Sagepaw inquired.

"As soon as I finish talking with Cherrytail." Echosong turned away from Sagepaw, and continued her conversation with Cherrytail

After Cherrytail left the den with a bundle of sweet smelling green leaves, Sagepaw walked over to Echosong. "How long has Cherrytail been expecting kits?" she asked.

"She only found out three sunrises ago, why? Wait, how did you know about that? She hasn't even told Sharpclaw yet!"

"The borage leaves. I recognized the scent. They _are_ for helping a queen's milk come, aren't they? Did I get it wrong?" Sagepaw waited nervously for an answer.

"No, no, you were right. But borage leaves also help fevers, so how did you know what she needed them for?"

"Well, her eyes weren't glazed over, and she didn't smell icky. Plus everyone notices her and Sharpclaw leaving camp every other night." Sagepaw smirked.

"Oh." Echosong looked surprised.

"What. What did I do?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just, you've only been training for three sunrises, and you already know half the herbs." Echosong told her.

"I'm supposed to, aren't I? That's what medicine cats do, isn't it?" Sagepaw inquired.

"Yes, and you're wonderful at memorizing the herbs, but there's another side to being a medicine cat; sharing dreams with StarClan. And I think it's about time you met them."

"You mean-"

"Yes. We're going to the Whispering Cave." Echosong smiled. "Now eat these." She thrust a bundle of herbs at Sagepaw.

The bundle contained two different types of leaves, in two different colors.

"What do these leaves do?" Echosong prompted.

"The dark green one prevents hunger, and the musty yellow one grants a cat strength." Sagepaw recited. " They don't have specific names though, they're just traveling herbs."

"Good. Now eat these, we need to get going, it's nearly sunfall!"

Sagepaw gulped down the herbs, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Okay, I'm ready!"

"Follow me." Echosong said.

They left the medicine cat den, and headed towards the Moon Ledge. Echosong jumped and landed high on the small platform-like ledge, a feat that she only achieved using the strong leg muscles that were characteristic to a SkyClan cat.

Sagepaw crouched down, and then sprang up high, landing neatly on all fours.

"Where do we go now?" Sagepaw asked.

"In here." Echosong answered, staring intently into the darkness.

She took a few steps forward, and disappeared.

Sagepaw gasped in shock, and looked around wildly. She wanted to scream, cry, _anything_ but stand here.

_Stop it!_ she told herself sternly. _You're not some mouse-brained kit!_

Sagepaw took a few steps toward the spot Echosong had vanished, and then everything made sense.

Directly in front of her, about two fox-lengths high and three fox-lengths wide, was a tunnel. Sagepaw took a deep breath, steadied herself, and took the three steps forward into the tunnel.

She forced herself to look straight ahead as she walked briskly through the dark tunnel. Sagepaw was so focused on her destination that she didn't hear Echosong calling out her name until she had walked a full five fox-lengths ahead of her.

Emabarrased, she turned around. "Yeah?"

"We need to go faster if we want to make it back before sun-high, but we don't have to _run_ all the way there!" Echosong raced to catch up as she spoke.

Sagepaw hadn't realized she was moving so fast. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Come on, we're almost there."

They walked in silence for a short while longer, and then Sagepaw noticed a faint mist of light in front of them, off to the side. They turned round the corner into a small cavern, and she gasped in surprise.

In front of them sat a pool so vast Sagpaw thought it was a wonder that it fit in the cave at all. The surface of the water shimmered and twinkled in the glimmer of starlight that entered the cave through a crack in the ceiling.

"This is Whispering Cave." Echosong told her.

Sagepaw was about to ask why, when she heard faint murmurs-whispers-coming from nowhere.

_But not nowhere._ She realized._ They're coming from the water!_

And they were. She angled her ears in the direction of the pool, and heard the whispers again, louder this time. They seemed to be calling her name.

_Sagepaw…Sagepaw…You have come! We've been waiting for you Sagepaw…_

Then Echosong spoke, snaring her attention and quieting the whispers. Her disappointment was cut short when she heard what Echosong had to say.

"It's time." Her mentor meowed, her eyes shining almost as brightly as the pool itself. "Sagepaw, is it your wish to enter into the mysterious world of StarClan as a medicine cat?"

"It is." Sagepaw replied, feeling as though she would burst with excitement.

"Then come forward." Echosong commanded.

Sagepaw did as she was told.

"Warriors of StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. She has chosen the path of the medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her clan in accordance to your will."

Echosong motioned with her tail for Sagepaw to lay down next to her. "Touch your tongue to the water, and go to sleep. StarClan will visit you in your dreams tonight."

Sagepaw inched forward, touched her tongue to the surface of the shimmering pool, and…

**KatrinaCrystal:** Haha, I'm so mean! Left you with a cliffie! I don't even _like _cliffies, and I left you with a cliffie. Heh heh heh…

**Cinderkit:** Oh, get over yourself, KatrinaCrystal, you're no Tigerstar…

**KatrinaCrystal:** Okay, what about Hawkfrost?

**Cinderkit:** Nuh-uh.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Am I at least a Hollyleaf?

**Cinderkit:** Nope. *giggles*

**KatrinaCrystal:** Well then what am I?

**Cinderkit**: Mousefur! *guffaws*

**KatrinaCrystal:** Before I go kill my kittypet, I must remind you to _REVIEW_!

**Cinderkit:** Wait, what are you- Aaaagh! No, don't- _please_! I- *screams like a little schoolgirl and then faints*

**KatrinaCrystal:** Forget about her. She'll be okay when I put out her MeowMix. Remember, I likes lotsa reviews!J


	4. Chapter Three: The Dream

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Warriors. Cinderpelt died, remember?

**KatrinaCrystal:** Sorry for not updating.

**Cinderkit:** Don't hate her though. She had homework to finish.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Yeah. But I'm done now! Yay!

**Cinderkit:** So, yet again, I am being forced to relay my twoleg's thanks to Frosteyes and GinnyStar.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Shut it Cinderkit! They review, and that's more than _you_ can say!

**Cinderkit:** So? I don't have thumbs!

**KatrinaCrystal:** Stop it or I'll send your picture to , making_ you_ an official lolcat!

**Cinderkit:** You wouldn't dare!

**KatrinaCrystal:** Try me!

**Cinderkit:** *gasps* Okaaay folks! Let the story begin…*runs away yowling in terror*

Chapter Three: The Dream

Sagepaw opened her eyes, and found herself surrounded by tall oak trees, their leaves bright with the splendor of green-leaf. She looked around, and the first thing she noticed was the river. Wide, and very deep, it rushed past her, chuckling and gurgling all the way. Sagepaw looked farther down the down the river, and saw that, several fox-lengths away from her, an enormous log lay stretched across the river. The comforting scent of SkyClan surrounded her, but, since she'd never been outside of camp, she had no clue where she was.

"So where am I, exactly?" she wondered aloud.

"You're still at the Whispering Cave. You're dreaming Sagepaw." a voice rang out from behind her.

"Rainfur? Rainfur! You're back! Why haven't you visited me lately?" Sagepaw demanded, hurt.

The young tom was silent for just a moment before he opened his jaws to speak. "I couldn't. I'm sorry."

"Well, why not?"

"StarClan has seen something, something terrible." The combination of the dark grey flecks and stars that clung to his pale grey fur was oddly beautiful, and Sagepaw longed to reach out and touch it, but she wasn't entirely sure her father was solid.

"What do you mean, terrible?" she asked, returning her mind to the conversation at hand.

Rainfur didn't seem to hear her. He stared straight ahead, as if mesmerized by some unseen object. Then he turned back to her and spoke.

"Dark times lie in wait for SkyClan. There will be death, and destruction. Your clan will be in turmoil. And worse still, the darkness and turmoil will come from within your clan. Don't trust your clanmates, or your kin, for there is no telling which side they are on. You must stay strong. You must not give up. You must fight to keep this clan together. Don't let the darkness sharpen it's claws on your clan."

"What do you mean? If I can't trust my clanmates or kin, who _can_ I trust?" Sagepaw asked, who was frightened out of her fur by now.

"One clanmate will be on your side, no matter what."

"Who?" Sagepaw pleaded desperately.

Rainfur didn't answer. He turned around and walked away silently, tail twitching.

"Rainfur! Rainfur, come back! Please! I don't know what to do! Rainfur!"

And then Sagepaw's vision went black, and all she heard was a starling's song, echoing, echoing, echoing…

Sagepaw felt weightless, nonexistent…there, but not there at the exact same time. As she drifted on the brink of the waking world and the dreaming world, the bird's song continued to echo in her head.

Suddenly, the pieces clicked together in her head, and part of the tangled mess of her father's message made sense.

_Of course! The bird's song playing over and over, echoing, that wasn't some random bit of nonsense._ _Rainfur was trying to answer my question, to tell me who I could trust! _Sagepaw realized._ A bird's echoing song; Echosong. How could I have been so stupid?!_

Sagepaw woke with a start. She had only to open her eyes to find out why. Echosong was leaning over her, smacking her repeatedly with one grey forepaw.

"Wake up! Oh, please wake up! Sagepaw! Please!"

"Hey, could you cut it out please?" Sagepaw snapped. "I'm not dying, I was just asleep."

Echosong lowered her paw, and took a step back. "It sure didn't seem like it."

"What do you mean?" Sagepaw asked, confused.

"I mean you were yowling and calling for Rainfur and you just wouldn't stop shaking…I've never seen anything like it. What happened?"

Her dream came rushing back to her now, not in little bits and pieces, but all at once, and, in a great flood of words and sounds, she remembered everything. Sagepaw wanted to run and hide, but she couldn't move. All four of her legs seemed too heavy to move. It was as if her limbs were actually made heavy with the weight of what she knew… If she hadn't been to scared to speak, Sagepaw would have laughed at the irony.

Summoning all of her courage, she stood up, lifted her chin so that she could look Echosong square in the eye, and said, "I had a dream. A dream from StarClan."

**KatrinaCrystal:** So, umm, I haven't thought of an official prophecy for this story, but StarClan will send one to Sagepaw or Echosong soon.

**Cinderkit:** Probably Sagepaw. In case you didn't figure it out, this story is pretty much gonna be Sagepaw's POV.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Hey, that sounded kinda snobby, Cinderkit.

**Cinderkit:** Hey, I'm only saying that because it took _you _three chapters to figure out you like writing about Sagepaw better than Echosong, and _you're _the author.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Point taken. Anyway, please review!


	5. Chapter Four: Confusion

**Disclaimer:** Warriors and all the characters in it belong to the Erin Hunters. Not me.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Again, I'm really sorry for not updating. I'll try to get at least one chapter in every week or so from now on. Oh, Cinderkit?

**Cinderkit:** I'm here! Okay, my twoleg has so rudely ordered-I mean, so kindly asked, that I relay her thanks to all those who reviewed on the last chapter. Thanks Swiftclaw/swiftshadow, Gingersplash, Frosteyes, KrakenKull, and ImmortalShippo!

**KatrinaCrystal:** Yeah, you guys are the best! Swiftclaw/swiftshadow, I haven't read Firestar's quest in a while, so I'm going off memory. I'm _pretty_ sure that there is a long tunnel they go through to get to Whispering Cave, and that's why I decided that they should eat the traveling herbs. You know, so they don't get tired? I'll borrow Firestar's Quest from a friend just to be sure. Thanks for letting me know! Oh, and I know regular cats don't cry, but these are _Warriors _cats. They get to cry.

**Cinderkit:** And Frosteyes, all I'm gonna say is that my twoleg was _trying_ to be subtle. Which is something she's terrible at. Mostly because she has foxdung for brains…

**KatrinaCrystal:** Cinderkit! *growls, then sighs* She's right though. How do the Erins do it? Give clues, but not make them super obvious? Oh, wait, they _don't_. But we love 'em anyways.

**Cinderkit:** So, without further ado, here is chapter four.

Chapter Four: Confusion

**Sagepaw's POV**

Sagepaw finished recounting her dream to Echosong, and took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. "What should we do?"

Her mentor didn't meet her gaze. She stared blankly at the ground, head on her forepaws, and Sagepaw padded over to her.

"Echosong? Echosong, are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

Sagepaw stifled a sigh of relief as her mentor jumped, startled, and began to speak.

"I- I don't know. StarClan sent me a similar dream. Skywatcher came to me and said that darkness was coming. That it would come from within SkyClan. Of course, it wasn't all bad; it was also the dream that prompted me to ask you about becoming a medicine cat apprentice."

Although Sagepaw was standing right next to her, it sound as if Echosong were calling to her from a great distance. Her mentor's words sounded in her mind, softly, and Sagepaw had took fight back the hysteria that threatened to overcome her.

_I can't do this! I can't! I've only been out of the nursery three sunrises! I'm barely an apprentice! My fur is still kit-soft! I can't do this! There's no way I can do this! I-_

Sagepaw's internal rambling was cut short when Echosong laid her tail on her shoulder.

Sagepaw realized that she hadn't been hiding her emotions as well as she'd thought. She'd been- She still _was_ shaking with fear. Sagepaw took a deep breath, and willed herself to stand still.

"Sorry." she meowed quietly. "It's just-"

Echosong silenced her by moving her tail across Sagepaw's jaws. "You don't need to explain. I understand. I was scared out of my fur when I had to tell Firestar my dream about with the leaves. You know, the one that decided the question of who would be leader? I could hardly breathe, and I was older than you are now. It's okay to be scared. There's no shame in that. It's better to be afraid now, away from your clanmates, than to be frightened in front of them."

Sagepaw looked deep into her mentor's pale green eyes and found compassion there. No anger, no scorn or disgust, just compassion. Compassion and understanding.

Sudden warmth flooded through Sagepaw, along with renewed respect and newfound gratitude. Taking advantage of her sudden internal calm, she repeated her earlier question. "What should we do?"

"Honestly?" Echosong said. "I don't know. I've never dealt with this kind of situation before. During the battle with the rats, the whole clan knew about the problem. But now, StarClan says we can't tell any cat."

"But why couldn't StarClan just tell us the names of the cats that are going to betray the clan?" she asked, confused.

Echosong purred with amusement. "StarClan might know more than we do, but they don't know _everything_. Besides, maybe they did tell us. Didn't you say that Rainfur gave you a clue at the end of your dream?"

Sagepaw nodded. "Yes. But how can I tell what is a clue and what isn't?"

Echosong sighed. "It can be difficult, I know. But think about your dream for a moment. Does anything in particular stand out to you? A sound, an image, a phrase?"

Sagepaw thought for a long moment, and then started to shake her head. Halfway through, however, she gasped.

"What? What?" Her mentor asked.

"Rainfur said dark times are ahead…" she said slowly.

"And…?" The medicine cat prompted.

"And Rainfur said- he said there would be death. He said the bad things would come from within SkyClan. And he told me not to let the darkness sharpen it's claws on my clan."

Sagepaw sat quietly, trying to make sense of the cryptic message her father had given her. Don't trust you clanmates. Don't trust your kin. Death. Turmoil. Destruction. Darkness.

"I don't know. I make any heads or tails of it. Why does StarClan _always _talk in riddles?!" The grey she cat hissed in frustration.

Echosong lifted her head from her grey forepaws, and narrowed her eyes at her apprentice. "This is your first time meeting StarClan. How do _you_ know they always talk in riddles?"

The silver-grey tabby squirmed uneasily under her mentor's piercing green gaze.

_Why is she looking at me like that? I didn't do anything wrong… Did I? Maybe I wasn't supposed to share tongues with StarClan before I was apprenticed… What if she punishes me!_

Sagepaw stole a glance at her mentor, only to look at her paws when she found that Echosong was still staring at her. She forced herself to lift her gaze again, and look Echosong in the eye.

Relief flooded through her as, once again, Echosong reacted differently than she'd anticipated. All Sagepaw could find in the medicine cat's gaze was curiosity, tainted by a tinge of accusation.

"Well, you see, it's just… It's _not _my first time sharing tongues with StarClan."

Many emotions flitted across Echosong's slender tabby face before it settled into a hard mask of anger. "You came to the Moonpool without me?" She growled. "Sagepaw, I-"

"No, no!" Sagepaw interrupted her quickly. "It's not like that!"

Echosong snorted, and then said sarcastically, "Really? Well then, _please_, enlighten me!"

"I _didn't _sneak here without you." Sagepaw mewed defiantly. "And I have two things that will prove it! First, I wouldn't known how to get here. And second, I've been sorting herbs, gathering herbs, learning the names of herbs, searching the elders for ticks, cleaning out the nursery, and gathering moss for the past three sunrises! I wouldn't have had time!"

"That still doesn't explain how you shared tongues with StarClan before tonight." The medicine cat said coolly, her frosty stare still locked on her apprentice.

Sagepaw swallowed, suddenly nervous again. "Look, don't get mad at me, okay? It's just… I've been meeting StarClan in my dreams for as long as I can remember. Since I was a kit. I'm not lying!" She added desperately, in response to some strange emotion that had planted itself across Echosong's face. "You can even ask Mintpaw! I used to wake her up all the time calling out in my sleep, and I nearly bored her to death describing Skywatcher and Rainfur and Fawnstep and Cloudstar and Mousefang! I-"

Echosong silenced her with a flick of her tail. "I believe you."

"I'm telling the- Wait, what?" Sagepaw asked stupidly.

"I said, I believe you."

"You- You're not mad at me?" Sagepaw checked.

"No. Why would I be mad?" Echosong was confused. "This is amazing!"

"What do you mean?" Now it was Sagepaw's turn to be confused.

"Don't you get it? Not every kit has the ability to speak with StarClan from birth. As a matter of fact, _no_ kit I've ever met has had the ability you have. Great StarClan, most cats- pretty much _all_ cats -can't! Only medicine cats and leaders can! The only other cat that has shared dreams with StarClan before becoming a leader is Firestar, and he's the only cat in his forest who can! This is amazing! This is wonderful! Sagepaw, you were _meant_ to be a medicine cat."

Sagepaw digested this information slowly, thinking it through. "So what you're saying is that I'm… special?"

"Yes, Sagepaw, very special. Tell me, how often do you share dreams with StarClan?"

"Almost every night. But they've never told me anything _important _before. No prophecies. I just talk to the StarClan warriors, and learn about them. Their past, the history of SkyClan, stuff like that. I've never had anything like this happen before!" Sagepaw's green eyes grew round.

"Yes, well, the warning… If you share dreams with StarClan tonight, you need to tell me what they say, understand?" Echosong asked her.

"Yes, I understand. And I will." Sagepaw promised solemnly.

"Good. Now let's head back to camp. Petalnose will be worried, and I'll bet Mintkit will want to hear all about your dreams!" she said lightly.

"Oh, yeah!" Sagepaw said excitedly. "But wait! What do I tell them? I'm not supposed to trust anyone but you! Rainfur said."

"Ah, hmm. Why don't you tell them about meeting Rainfur, but leave out StarClan's warning. They'll be happy that you heard from him. When they ask what he told you, because they will, tell them that he says he's safe and happy, and that he's very proud of you and Mintkit. That's what they want to hear, and it's true as well."

"Okay." Sagepaw meowed cheerfully.

She waited for Echosong to stand up, and then began wandering back in the direction of the camp.

**KatrinaCrystal:** So, that was chapter four. What'd you think? Good, bad, needs work… Which one?

**Cinderkit:** None of them. It's a great big pile of foxdung.

**KatrinaCrystal:** You just love that word, don't you?

**Cinderkit:** Yup! *Sings to the tune of the Meow-Mix theme song* Foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, foxdung, FOX-DUNG!!!!!!!

**KatrinaCrystal:** Wow. Just wow. O-kaay folks, that's all for now! Check back in every couple of days for about a week. I'll try to have chapter five by then, okay?

**Cinderkit:** And if she doesn't, I'll come inside the house and rip her to shreds! Because since Christmas break is next week, she doesn't have her favorite excuse of homework. I mean come _on_, how hard can Geometry and Biology be?

**KatrinaCrystal**: I'd like to see _you_ do it.

**Cinderkit:** Can't. No opposable thumbs, remember?

**KatrinaCrystal:** Then how are you typing this?

**Cinderkit:** They're on to us Fred! Run!!! Just kidding. Or not… Anywho, review!


	6. Chapter Five: Secrets

**Disclaimer:** I most certainly do _not_ own Warriors.

**KatrinaCrystal:** I am really really really _truly_ sorry for my lack of updating. I have no good excuses to give you. However, maybe this mega update will make you forgive me…? Oh, Cinderkit? Get crackin'!

**Cinderkit:** Senorita two-leg-pants wishes for me to relay her thanks to her still-faithful reviewers. So, here goes : Many thanks to Frosteyes, ImmortalShippo, KrakenKull, GinnyStar, Winterwing1, Swiftclaw, and silverstarfan.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Yeah, when I finally checked my reviews I found a buttload of peeps screeching at me to update. It's good to know that you guys haven't abandoned this story, and, as of right now, neither have I.

**Cinderkit:** Let the story begin!

* * *

**Chapter Five: Secrets**

Sagepaw opened her eyes and arched her back in a delicious stretch. Her stomach growled and she decided to go head over to the fresh-kill pile.

Sagepaw was just about to take a bite out of a particularly scrawny squirrel when Mintpaw came bounding over.

"Hi!" she mewed happily. "I just got back from a dawn patrol with Sharpclaw."

"How'd it go? Any of the rats still hanging around?" Sagepaw asked worriedly.

"Not really, just a few here and there. I guess the warriors really _did_ knock some sense into them." Mintpaw replied.

Sagepaw heard her sister's stomach growling with all the ferocity of a thousand badgers, and realized that Mintpaw must have gone out on dawn patrol before she had a chance to eat.

"Here, let's share." Sagepaw offered, pushing the squirrel towards her.

"Thanks! I wanted to hunt while out on dawn patrol, but Sharpclaw got all bossy." Mintpaw huffed.

"Sounds like him." Sagepaw chuckled. "What did he say this time?"

"The usual." Mintpaw cleared her throat and when she spoke, her voice came out in a deep, husky mew; a passable imitation of Sharpclaw's voice. " 'This is a _dawn _patrol, not a _hunting _patrol. We're supposed to patrol the borders, not chase after mice.' "

"Well, I suppose he's right. But there's nothing in the warrior code that says you can't hunt on a dawn patrol, is there? And besides, we need all the prey we can get now that it's leaf-bare." Sagepaw said reasonably.

"Yeah, well, try telling _him_ that." Mintpaw mewed wryly. "But enough about the stupid dawn patrol, I want to know how it went last night!"

Sagepaw looked up at her sister quizzically. "What do you mean? How _what _went last night?"

"Oh, come on! You can't possibly have forgotten! Whispering Cave! What happened at Whispering Cave?" Mintpaw asked eagerly, bouncing up and down. The half-eaten squirrel lay forgotten on the ground by her paws

Sagepaw stiffened. She _had_ forgotten. The prophecy. Death. Destruction. Chaos. Darkness. Evil. The end of life as she knew it.

But far worse than the prophecy itself, Sagepaw realized, was her father's warning. She could not trust anybody. Not her clanmates. Not her kin. Not even Mintpaw. That last thought tore her up inside. A wave of agony sliced through Sagepaw, and she distorted her face in an effort to hold back the tears that welled up from deep inside her.

**(A.N. I know cat's can't cry. I don't care. It's MY story, and I WANT CRYING CATS!!!!!!! So you'll just have to live with it!)**

Luckily for her, Mintpaw had never been very good at reading people's emotions, -that had always been Sagepaw's specialty- so she didn't notice the spasm of pain that had flashed across Sagepaw's face. It lasted only seconds, there one moment and gone the next as Sagepaw managed to fix her features back into an emotionless mask.

"Sagepaw? Sagepaw? Saaagepaaaw? Hel-lo-o? Anycat in there?" Mintpaw teased.

Sagepaw shook herself and plastered a happy smile on her face. "S-sorry. I was just remembering last night."

It was the truth. She _was_ remembering the previous night. In the split second after uttering those words, Sagepaw realized that she didn't have to _lie_ to her sister… She just couldn't tell her the whole truth. That thought didn't exactly vanquish her bleak mood, but rather soothed it, and made her think that perhaps there was hope after all.

"And?" Mintpaw questioned impatiently, her tail lashing.

"And it was great!" _At first…_ "Echosong took me through this long tunnel and then we got there and the pool was all sparkly and it tasted of stars and moonlight and I had this dream and-and- it was _amazing_!" Sagepaw said as brightly as she could.

"What was your dream about? Did you meet StarClan? Was Rainfur there? Does he miss us? How's Skywatcher? Did you get a prophecy? When will you be a full medicine cat?" Mintpaw fired off the questions at top speed.

It took Sagepaw a moment to sort through which questions she could and couldn't answer. "Well, yeah, of _course_ I met StarClan. I did see Rainfur, and I think he misses us about as much as we miss him. I'm pretty sure Skywatcher's just fine. And I don't think I'll be a full medicine cat for _moons_."

"Oh. Hey, wait, you still didn't tell me what your dream was about!" Mintpaw reminded her.

_Mouse dung! Why couldn't she just forget about it! Okay Sagepaw, think. Think, Sagepaw, think! You need an excuse!_

"Well, umm… I can't tell you." Sagepaw finally said, deciding that to stick as close to the truth as she could without giving anything away.

"What?!" Mintpaw exclaimed, outraged. "Why not?"

"Well, umm… I just can't." Sagepaw shuffled her paws uneasily.

"Why?" Mintpaw asked again, softly. Sagepaw saw genuine hurt in her sister's eyes, and it pained her to know that it was all her fault.

"I- I just can't. It's- It's a medicine cat thing. We can't tell anyone what we saw in the cave." Sagepaw said, suddenly realizing that it was true.

"Aww, come on! You can trust me!"

Those words hit Sagepaw like a load of bricks. They shattered what remained of her confidence. _You can trust me_… Sagepaw desperately, desperately wanted that to be true. She wanted so badly to be able to share the dream with her sister. She wanted to tell her sister of the terrible prophecy. She wanted to voice her fears. Explain her confusion. Show her terror. Cry on her Mintpaw's shoulder. She wanted so badly to share this terrible, awful, horrible, _dark_ secret with her sister.

But Sagepaw couldn't. This was _her _burden to bear. StarClan had chosen her to beat the burden of keeping the secret. They had found her, of all her clanmates, to be worthy. She could not, _would _not, let them down. She would not tell her sister. She would _not_.

"Look, Mintpaw, this isn't _about _trust. It's about the warrior code. Everyone knows that the warrior code is different for medicine cats. We do what StarClan tells us, and nothing more. I don't expect you to understand it completely, but you've got to- you've got to trust me!" Sagepaw could have laughed at the irony of her statement.

"Trust you?" Mintpaw mewed. "Trust you? Why should I, if you won't trust me?"

Sagepaw was at a loss for words. "I- I just-"

Mintpaw glared at her, but Sagepaw could tell that behind the anger still lay that same massive hurt, that feeling of betrayal.

"Mintpaw, I want to tell you. I really do, but I just can't. You know that medicine cats aren't supposed to talk about their dreams. You can't expect me to break the warrior code just because you want to _gossip_!"

"Gossip?! All I wanted was to know what happened in your first medicine cat dream. _You're _the one who refused to tell me, even though _I _share everything about _my _training! I just wanted to know how you were doing! Is that so wrong?"

Sagepaw knew her sister was telling the truth, and she really wanted to stop the argument, but Mintpaw wouldn't let it go.

"So just tell me what you saw already! It's just a stupid dream! It's not that big of a deal!"

At those words, Sagepaw lost it. She couldn't take it any longer. Any sympathy she may have had for her sister, any guilt she may have felt upon keeping this secret from her… It vanished, and was replaced by hate and rage so wild, so fierce, that Mintpaw shied away from her.

"_Just _a dream? _Just _a stupid dream?" Sagepaw hissed. "What do _you _know? _You're _just a stupid warrior apprentice. You could _never _understand the things a medicine cat does! The things we have to go through! The things we give up for the sake of our clan! And without us… Without our knowledge of healing herbs… Without our _stupid dreams_… Nobody would have survived the rat attack! So don't give me any _mouse dung _about _stupid dreams_."

"What in the name of StarClan _happened _last night? What happened to you? You- You've _never _done _anything _like this before." Mintpaw said.

"I- I'm so sorry Mintpaw." Sagepaw whispered, mortified at her actions. "I am so, so sorry. I- I can't tell you. I- I- I just _can't_. You understand though, don't you?" She asked hopefully.

"No." Mintpaw said coldly.

"No…? You don't understand? Well, I can… I can try to explain, I guess."

"Oh no, I understand. I understand better than you think. You're not sorry. You meant every word you said. I could tell. The only reason you won't trust me is because I'm just a stupid _warrior apprentice _and not a precious _medicine cat_. You won't talk to me just because I don't spend all my time picking weeds. _You _won't trust _me_, but you expect _me _to trust _you_? No. I don't know _what_ happened last night, but there's _no _excuse for this. You… disgust me." And with that, Mintpaw stalked away in the direction of the apprentices' den.

Sagepaw stared after her, shocked. Sure, she's quarreled with her sister before, but only over small things, like who got the biggest piece of fresh-kill. And even then, they'd always forgiven each other and come up with a solution. This was the first time they'd fought without making up. Sagepaw didn't like the feeling.

She ate the rest of the squirrel without really tasting it, and then headed out of camp after giving her mentor the excuse of gathering herbs. Sagepaw wandered about, scouring the territory. She found horsetail, yarrow, dock, and juniper berries. There wasn't much of any of those, given that it was leaf-bare, so she picked as much as she could find, making room for the shoots that were sure to pop out of the earth in newleaf.

Sagepaw continued wandering, reluctant to return to camp and face her sister. When she came across a small patch of catmint she sat down heavily.

_Mintpaw…_

Sagepaw sat there, moping and generally feeling sorry for herself for a long time. She was still sitting there when Echosong came looking for her, which was well after sun-high.

The forest was tinged with darkness, as though cloaked by a great shadow, and the rustling of prey in the undergrowth was starting to cease. Sagepaw sat in silence, and was amused, in a sort of vacant, unfeeling way, to think that her surroundings now matched her mood.

She was aware of Echosong standing behind her. How could she not be? Echosong wasn't very stealthy, and every move she made caused a twig to snap or a leaf to crackle.

_But then again, as a medicine cat, she would have no need for stealth, would she… _Sagepaw mused. Then she spoke, and Echosong jumped. Obviously, the silver-grey she-cat hadn't known that Sagepaw was aware of her presence.

"I argued with Mintpaw today." Sagepaw said tonelessly.

Echosong started to console her, but Sagepaw cut her off.

"She wanted to know what my dream was about. I tried to tell her that medicine cats can't talk about their dreams at Whispering Cave, but I think she got the feeling, -subconsciously, perhaps- that I wasn't telling the whole truth. She thinks I don't trust her. I _want _to trust her. I _do _trust her. But Rainfur told me not to trust anyone but you. Not to tell anyone but you…

"Mintpaw said that it was just a stupid dream and I… I exploded. I yelled at her. I've never… never been so angry. I tried to apologize, but it wasn't enough. She said I… disgust her."

Sagepaw stood up slowly, and then spun around to look Echosong in the face. Her mentor looked back calmly, and Sagepaw detected a hint of pity in her eyes. This angered her. She didn't need her mentor's pity. Sagepaw glanced away and then looked back, and saw, beneath the pity, disapproval. That was better. Echosong was angry at her, if only just a little. That was what she truly deserved.

Sagepaw turned back around and picked a few stems of catmint. She gathered the rest of the herbs and carried them all over to her mentor. She raised her head and looked Echosong straight in the eye.

"I hate keeping secrets." Sagepaw said solemnly. She then bent down, snatched up the assortment of herbs, and headed back to camp.

* * *

**KatrinaCrystal:** How was that? It's my longest chapter yet! Does that maybe make up for my lack of updating?

**Cinderkit:** I don't think so, mouse-brain. You didn't update for two and a half months! Almost three! Do you really think that two extra pages makes up for that?

**KatrinaCrystal:** Yes, I do! And besides, I was busy! My friend introduced me to Naruto, and I spent AGES watching it. Do you have any idea how many magas and episodes of the anime there are?

**Cinderkit:** No.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Well, neither do I. There's like forty-something mangas and I lost count of the TV episodes at around one hundred fifty-something, so… Yeah. That's all I guess.

**Cinderkit:** Please review, or KatrinaCrystal will send Ferncloud after you!

**KatrinaCrystal:** Yup. Oh, and did I mention she's been locked in a cage and hasn't seen Dustpelt in four moons…?

**Cinderkit:** *Gulps* No, you quite conveniently left that out.

**KatrinaCrystal:** Oh, did I? Hmmm… Oh well. Review or face Ferncloud's wrath! *Evil Laugh* Wellps, bye!


End file.
